Introduction to Human Rights Due Diligence
Kate Larsen
20 years: Human Rights and Supply Chains
In this video, Kate explores how businesses and investors have been learning about human rights risks and how to address them, drawing insights from civil society and other intelligence sources, a practice that has been ongoing for many years and is becoming increasingly prevalent.
In this video, Kate explores how businesses and investors have been learning about human rights risks and how to address them, drawing insights from civil society and other intelligence sources, a practice that has been ongoing for many years and is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Introduction to Human Rights Due Diligence
16 mins 18 secs
Key learning objectives:
Understand how business identify and assess impacts
Identify stakeholders and methods for human rights risk assessments
Understand the critical role of integrating human rights risk assessments to enhance business resilience
Overview:
Business human rights due diligence involves identifying, assessing, and addressing human rights impacts within a company's value chain. This process includes engaging with stakeholders, leveraging insights from civil society reports, and considering environmental factors. Companies often hire professionals with expertise in sustainability and human rights to conduct thorough assessments. Guided by frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles and OECD standards, businesses are encouraged to integrate their findings into actionable strategies, thereby mitigating risks, enhancing resilience, and fostering positive social change.
The UNGPs are based on three pillars:
- The state duty to protect human rights
- The corporate responsibility to respect human rights
- Access to remedy for victims of business-related abuses
Businesses are expected to understand and implement these pillars, particularly by conducting human rights due diligence in line with the UNGPs' guidance. This involves engaging stakeholders, assessing risks, mitigating where necessary, using leverage to drive improvements, remedying human rights violations, and reporting on these actions.
What are salient human rights, and how should businesses address them?
Salient human rights refer to the human rights most affected by business operations, rather than just material impacts. Businesses should focus on where risks to people's human rights are most significant. For instance:
- In care home acquisitions, the risk of forced labour among foreign migrant staff might be more salient than material risks like asbestos presence
Companies are encouraged to map salient human rights risks carefully by considering both country and sector-specific issues and using available guidance and data tools.
#What does the UNGPs concept of complicity entail?
Complicity in the UNGPs extends beyond the legal definition to include situations where a business benefits from abuses committed by others. This can happen when businesses:
- Reduce costs due to slave-like practices in their supply chains
- Fail to speak out against abuses related to their operations, products, or services
Businesses are expected to remedy adverse human rights impacts and prevent further occurrences, often involving compensation, apologies, and rehabilitation.
How should businesses use leverage to ensure remedy and prevent human rights abuses?
Businesses are expected to use their leverage to help ensure remedy for affected stakeholders and prevent further human rights abuses. This is especially important in supply chains or large infrastructure projects where multiple buyers or investors are involved. By collaborating legally, businesses can:
- Prevent confusion and conflicting expectations for improvements from suppliers.
- Speed up remedies and reward businesses that deliver improvements to affected people.
Collaboration helps achieve better outcomes for human rights issues across supply chains and projects.
Kate Larsen
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